RAWALPINDI: The Islamabad Electricity Supply Company (lesco) will stop using services of Pakistan Post for collecting electricity bills from July 1.

According to Pakistan Post officials, lesco has written a letter to the Pakistan Post headquarters, saying that the purpose of discontinuing the service was to digitalise the manual collection system and avoid losses in cash collections.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Post officials expressed surprise at this sudden unilateral decision.

The officials said Pakistan Post was facing losses in collecting electricity, gas, telephone and Wasa bills, but the department was continuing to provide the service for the convenience of the people.

They said the confidence of the people across the country on Pakistan Post, especially in the rural areas, was reflected in figures.

During the last fiscal year 2023-24, more than 42.8 million bills of electricity companies were collected by post offices, out of which 10 million bills were of lesco, they added.

The officials said Pakistan Post had collected 46.7 million electricity, gas, telephone and Wasa bills in the first 10 months of the current fiscal year 2024-25 and this number will exceed 55 million by the end of June.

On the other hand, consumers have also rejected the unilateral decision of lesco, saying the company had ignored the convenience of the public. All electricity companies, including lesco, and other utility firms already have an alternative proposed facility for submitting bills, but the public is mostly dependent on Pakistan Post.

Meanwhile, officials in Pakistan Post said the process of digitalising Pakistan Post was going on rapidly and at this time, the decision to withdraw the facility of electricity bills from the Post Office would cause serious difficulties for the public, especially rural consumers. Staff Reporter